What If You Could Catch the Attention of Top Hiring Managers?

Oooo...that got your attention, didn't it?

Strong headlines are important. Just like with a client's resume being reviewed by a hiring manager, you only have a few seconds to get the attention of the prospective client who visits your website.

Tammi Metzler

"Urge readers to take notice with an attention-grabbing headline."

This was Step #2 shared by Tammi Metzler of the Write Associate in her teleseminar last week for BeAResumeWriter.com, "Your Website Gold Mine: Discover 5 Crucial Elements of a Client-Attracting, Money-Making Website." This was one of her 5 steps in a roadmap for a website to connect you with interested prospects for your resume-writing services.

If your resume writing website isn't drawing enough visitors … or if you're getting traffic but they're not turning into clients … or they're the WRONG kind of clients, listen to the recording of Tammi's call.

You can listen to the streaming audio here — for free, no opt-in required.

One of the most powerful statements Tammi made can be summed up like this:
If you don't know what action you want visitors to take, neither will they!

What do you want visitors to your website to do — what action do you want them to take? Do you want them to call you? Submit their resume for a review? Purchase a consultation with you? Download a free job search guide? Attend a preview (teleseminar) call? Once you know what you want them to do, it's much easier to create a website that inspires that action!

Tammi also shared a secret of how your website can reduce price resistance among prospective clients – which has been a HOT topic recently on some of the resume writing association e-lists. Making this one simple change on your website can dramatically increase your client conversion rate (the number of prospective clients who visit your website and actually become clients)!

I also invite you to join me for Tammi's upcoming class, "Secrets of a Client-Attracting Home Page: Five Simple Steps for Creating a Home Page That Lets Your Website Connect Your Business With Dozens, Hundreds, or Even Thousands of Your Ideal Clients Online." In that training, Tammi is going to share 11 proven headline formulas to draw visitors into your website so that they'll stick around long enough to learn more about what you offer and how you can help them in their job search, plus nine engagement techniques you can use on your website, and more.

I've signed up and hope to "see" you on the live call on March 27!

P.S. – Finally, Tammy has a free report for you to enjoy -- "Five Ways to Turn Website Visitors Into Clients" (a $97 value). Click on the link to find out more.

So What? Make Me Care! Do It Fast!

I love this phrase: "So what? Make me care? Do it fast!"

Deb Dib uses it as the "mantra" for all the work she does for her career clients. It's a phrase she came up with a few years ago at a Career Thought Leaders conference in Baltimore. 

Earlier this week, I attended The Academies' Certified G3! Coaching preview call, where Deb and Susan Whitcomb shared some of the strategies used in the program (you can read some of my take-aways below).

G3, in case you're not aware of it, is "Get Clear, Get Found, Get Hired" and it's a 10-week program designed to teach resume writers and career coaches how to create branded career communications ("career-comm").

From The Academies' program description:

To land today, your clients need to build an organic web of influence across multiple channels — starting yesterday! To do this, most clients will need more than a resume writer or coach – they’ll need a leading edge go-to resource with the training and talent to position them for this uncommon new world of careering … with resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and more for the mobile marketplace.

You can watch the 54-minute preview video here:

G3! Coaching Preview

It's definitely worth your time, even if you're not ready to pursue the certification yet.

Here were some of my key take-aways:

• Social media (especially Twitter) and the increase in mobile devices have inspired a need for shorter, more focused career communication documents. That doesn't mean that there isn't a need for two-page resumes (and addendums), but you should also be creating short-form pieces. Mobile devices outnumber PCs by 3-to-1 worldwide, so we as resume writers need to consider how what we write is being consumed … and a lot of it is being read on smartphones and iPads.

• Deb pointed out that we are helping people navigate one of the most important transitions in their lives — so we need to be on top of our game in terms of knowing what's needed now and what's coming next. As Deb says, "We have a moral imperative to help our clients navigate change."

• Deb introduced the concept of "Why-Buy-ROI" as a way to express client's "branded value in the marketplace." The "Why-Buy-ROI" formula takes the idea of expressing accomplishments a step further. It says, very quickly, "I know what you need, I can do it, I can prove I can do it, and I can do it again." The formula is: WHO/HOW/WHAT —> Measurable result. (Deb and Susan provide specific examples of this in the video, including one for a support position — which, as you know, it can be hard for people in support roles to quantify their value.)

• Think in terms of mini-modules that can build upon each other when developing your client's career communications. Susan and Deb described the process as creating a "Parts Store" where you can "shop" to find pieces to meet the client's needs in the job search.

They also showcased the G3 Smart-Step System, and described the pieces that take you (and your clients) from "4 smart steps" to "4 awesome outcomes."

Finally, Deb and Susan talked about how the G3 system can be incorporated into a resume writing business to add additional revenue. Deb said in her first year, she made $750. Total. But she also pointed out that was 20 years ago. She provided a sample price chart that showcases packages that can be built using the G3 system, and the "Power Pitch Resume with Proof-Points™" is twice that alone. If you've been looking for a way to increase your prices — and revenues — this system provides the key.

If you ARE thinking about becoming a G3! coach, the next program starts April 15, 2013. As I mentioned, it's a 10-week training class. Deb Dib will be your instructor, and sessions are held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time via teleseminar/webinar every Monday. When you complete the program, you'll have two certifications: The Academies' Certified Get Clear, Get Found, Get Hired! Coach plus the 360Reach Certification offered through Reach Personal Branding.

The Academies is offering a special offer if you sign up by Friday, March 8. 

The first five people who register by midnight on Friday (and note: Several spots have already been taken!) can register at a $300 discount ($2197 instead of the usual $2497 price, and that can be paid in four installments of $572), plus you'll receive a free coaching session with Susan (a $500 value), and a free iPad Mini ($400 value).

If you're interested in this special offer, register using this link:

March 8 Special Offer for G3

Eight Ways to Personalize Pass-Along Materials

One of the benefits of a Bronze membership in BeAResumeWriter.com is that each month, you get new, brandable careers content that you can use with your clients. But since each member gets the same content to start with, one of the biggest questions I get about Pass-Along Materials is how to make them unique.

A couple of resume writers have expressed concern about if a prospective client is looking for information to help them with their career, and they come across the same report on multiple resume writer websites. You can't control what anyone ELSE does with their content, but the easiest way to solve this for YOUR resume writing business is personalization.

Here are eight ways to personalize your Pass-Along Materials in just a few minutes.

1. Niche It!
The first way to personalize your content is to focus your content — if you can — on the specific audience you serve (or that you want to target with the guide). For example, "Jobseeker's Guide to Salary Negotiation" can become "The Graduate's Guide to Making The Most At Your First Job."

Identify the ideal client to read the content, and then target the content to that reader.

2. Name It!
The easiest way way to personalize your Pass-Along Materials is to come up with a unique name. I intentionally name the Pass-Along Content with very boring, pedestrian names, in hopes of forcing you to come up with something more exciting.

To come up with a unique, attention-getting title, use Jim Edwards' FREE "Profitable Title & Smokin' Hot Domain Name Wizard V2.1" Input four key items: topic, keyword phrase, main result/benefit, and target audience and it will generate dozens of ideas for you.

3. "Newspaper" It
Newspapers are written by different people but edited to sound like one "voice." Your Pass-Along Materials need to sound like they are written by you and are consistent with the other materials you share with clients. Read through the content and make sure it matches your voice and style (and that it agrees with advice you give your clients). Although I focus on "generally accepted" principles with the content, you may occasionally find something you don't necessarily agree with. Feel free to edit or remove that content, and add in your own advice! (And it's still easier than starting completely from scratch!)

And feel free to change the subheadings too. For example, something like "Conducting a Job Search While You're Still Employed" can be changed to "Four Tips for Looking For a Job When You've Already Got One."

You can often take the first sentence of the first paragraph of a section and make a subheading right from that by asking a question.

4. "Novel" It
One way to personalize the content to YOU specifically is to share a client story. You can also create a fictional story to lead into the purpose of the article. Sharing a personal example can also be a way to personalize the material. Stories help the reader relate to your content.

5. Give Readers "Navigation"
Consider adding a photo, graph, or chart to the Pass-Along Materials content to add visual interest,  personalize it, and make it easier to navigate the materials. You can find inexpensive photos on a site like Fotolia. (Make sure you purchase the correct rights for what you want to use your guide for. If you want to sell your content, choose a "Medium" size graphic or larger and that will give you the rights to use the graphic in a product you sell.)

6. Nationalize It.
If you're not in the U.S., adapt the advice to your country. Some resume advice is nation-specific, so make sure you've checked the content to make sure it applies to your readers.

7. Narrate it!
One of the most unique ways to change the Pass-Along Materials is to change the format to audio or video. Use the content as a script for a teleseminar or webinar, as the format for a live program, or an outline for a video or podcast.

8. Don't Neglect It!

The most important thing is to USE your Pass-Along Materials! They're not doing you any good on your computer hard drive — and, as you've seen in this article, it's so easy to personalize them!

Personalizing Pass-Along Materials takes only a couple minutes of your time — and it's also something a virtual assistant can do. It's a great way to receive maximum benefit from your Pass-Along Materials while also providing your readers with unique and valuable content. 

How Do I Get My Company Logo on My LinkedIn Profile?

Have you noticed that some resume writers have their company logo next to their business name in their LinkedIn profile? Are you wondering how they made that happen?

The answer is: Company Pages!

If you haven't yet set up a Company Page for your resume writing business, there are a couple of reasons why you should do it now:

• To get that logo to show up on your personal profile!
• To get additional visibility for your resume writing business on LinkedIn.
• Because it's easy!

Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up your Company Page on LinkedIn.

First, you must have a domain name for your resume writing business, and have an email address associated with that domain name that is on your LinkedIn profile. (You can add the email address if you don't have it already linked to your profile.) That domain name can only be associated with one company page. You must also have your resume business listed under the "Experience" section of your profile, and your profile must be complete ("Intermediate" or "All Star" status, with numerous connections.)

On the main menu bar, click on the "Companies" tab.

On the Companies page, click "Add a Company" in the upper right-hand corner.

This wil take to you a page to "Add a Company." Fill in your resume writing business name and your email address (remember, it has to be a domain name for your business name — it can't be a Gmail or other type of email address).

You must also verify that you are the official representative of the company by checking the box.

You'll be taken to a new page where you can edit your company profile.

When you are finished entering the information, click the blue "Publish" button in the upper right-hand corner.

Finally, click on the "Products" tab and add in information about the products and services you offer. Not only will this help you attract clients, it will also help your page get found, as the more content you add, the higher the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value of your page.

..............

The LAST STEP you need to take is to edit your profile and select your Company Page when articulating your business name. Go into your LinkedIn profile and choose "Edit Profile." Then, go to your current position and click the "edit" tool. As you type your business name, you should be presented with a list of companies to choose from.

Select your Company Page from the list, and then save your profile.

You will see that the logo from your Company Page now shows up on your profile.